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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A pressure group, South-South Integrity Group for Good Governance, has condemned attacks on the board and management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
To this end, the group has strongly frowned at the purported planned protest by the Coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations against Ebie and Ogbuku.
The group’s coordinator, High Chief Alex Alabo Nathan, in a statement, accused those planning protests of being sponsored by desperate politicians and contractors who, he believes, are angry that for the first time, NDDC is being run transparently without conduit pipes for them to divert illegal funds for their personal use.
According to the group, the NDDC Board Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, and the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, have piloted the affairs of the Commission creditably well to the admiration of millions of Niger Deltans.
The statement in part: “Today, across the Niger Delta states, several abandoned projects are ongoing and in some cases completed. Our cities and communities are beaming at night because of the solar lights provided by the NDDC.
“The Commission has built and renovated several roads, bridges, schools, modern lodges for NYSC members and also opened up many creeks and canals to mitigate flooding and other purposes.
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“As critical stakeholders of the region, we are very pleased with the unique performance of the two leaders and indeed the entire NDDC and we urge them to continue on this progressive path,” the group stated on Thursday.
“It is only the generality of the Niger Delta people that can demand the sack of NDDC leaders. Ebie and Ogbuku are more than qualified to be at the helm.
“Besides, their appointment by President Bola Tinubu was in line with the Nigerian Constitution and the NDDC Act and they have so far been discharging their statutory duties diligently. Thus any selfish call for their sack will end in futility.”
“We will not fold our hands and watch desperate people to thwart the significant efforts made by this current NDDC leadership to improve the lives of our people.
“We will also, from February 26th, be holding solidarity rallies across the region to profusely thank President Tinubu for entrusting the NDDC with credible leaders like Ebie and Ogbuku who have performed beyond our expectations,” Nathan stated.
The group urged the NDDC board chairman and the managing director not to be deterred by naysayers who are pretending not to see the duo’s numerous achievements due to their callous plan to have them replaced illegally.
He said his group will join other lovers of the Niger Delta to show unflinching solidarity with the NDDC leadership, which he believes has been the best since the creation of the Commission 25 years ago.
